Lye to stain Cherry

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

How does one go about staining cherry with oven cleaner?

[G. Elsenbeck]

Why not use some vinegaroon?  It is sure as heck safer and gets you a nice dark brown color which is 'in' the wood, not on it.  Just a thought.
Gary

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I don't have vinegroon, but I have ferric nitrate solution.  I was going for the brown/red that oven cleaner yields, and I'll be attempting the stain this evening.  I think Tim Boone has used it, and I'm hoping he and others will chime in.

[billd]

6 months in bright sunlight.  Rotate every couple of weeks.  No stain will ever match natural aging on cherry.

Bill

[Gene Carrell]

I have used the ferric nitrate solution on cherry. It needs rubbing back to get the nice dark red after the heating.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Thanks Gene...I may end up going that route.  Ferric nitrate works well on Osage orange too.

[Robert Wolfe]

I used Easy Off oven cleaner on a cherry fowler. It was very easy. I just sprayed it on (its foams so stays put nicely) and about 2-3 minutes later rinsed it off. I got very nice color. I wouldn't hesitate to do it that way again if I worked with another piece of cherry.  

[Brian Jordan]

Wow, that is a new one to me. Never heard of oven cleaner as a wood stain. I know Mr. L.R.B has a recipe for vinagaroon that has produced him some nice looking leather sheaths. A lot closer to PC too.

[Acer Saccharum]

I seem to recall 'fuming' with ammonia..make a tent, put some liquid ammonia in a cup, and let it do its work....does that work on Cherry?

[JDK]

..... A lot closer to PC too.

I don't know about that.  The main ingredient of oven clean is lye, which has long been known as a treatment for cherry....not a stain, but like Aqua Regina and maple, a conversion process.  Whether you make from wood ash or spray it on from a can, it's the same stuff.

Too me it's much akin to using ferric nitrate crystals in water or alcohol vs. mixing up a home brew of iron dissolved in nitric acid and water.

If anything, oven cleaner and FN crystals may be construed as cheating, but they are the same chemically and produce the same results, as I understand it.  Enjoy, J.D.

[Tim Crosby]

  The longer the oven cleaner is on the darker it will be. Like above I just spray it on, let it sit a minute or two and wash it off. I tried about 5 test strips at different times just to see what I could get. I use a Danish oil over it.

   Tim C.

[Dennis Glazener]

I seem to recall 'fuming' with ammonia..make a tent, put some liquid ammonia in a cup, and let it do its work....does that work on Cherry?

That was probably from me. It should work on any wood that has tannic acid in it or you can add tannic acid by making a strong solution of tea then painting it on the wood then "fume" it with strong (28% Ammonia is what I used).
Dennis

[Acer Saccharum]

Maybe ammonia fuming was used for coloring brass, too.

Sucks getting old......

[Keb]

I've used Easy Off on 5 different cherry gun stocks. It's easy to get and simple to use. No mixing required. Just spray it on, wait a couple minutes & wipe off. Done.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Well, thanks a lot guys.  That's the info I sought.  I'm off to the store for some Easy Off.

[Vomitus]

   Taylor, I hope you show us Regan's frenchie when it's finished. I'm hearing the rumors!

[Brian Jordan]

Well, thanks a lot guys.  That's the info I sought.  I'm off to the store for some Easy Off.

If you could, would you post some pictures of this process? This sounds like it could be very informative.

Thanks

[Mad Monk]

One must use care in changing cherry wood color with a strong caustic such as lye over cleaner.  If you do not get all of it out of the stock it can come back to haunt you if you use any sort of linseed oil finish or linseed oil varnish.  Once the finish is on the stock any amount of strong caustic left in the wood will soften the finish.  The caustic is simply converting the fatty acids in the oil finish into soap.

In the late 19th century furniture factories would place unfinished furniture in a room with a pan of ammonia and a fan.  Using full strength ammonia the furniture wood would change color overnight.  this is how the furniture factories produced the golden oak color furniture.  With cherry wood the wood would turn a deep red brown overnight.  They used this same process on other types of wood in furniture.  A way of quick aging the appearance of the wood.

It can be done with a household ammonia rich cleaner in a plastic tent.  With the low concentration of ammonia it just takes longer to get the desired color.
With the ammonia fumes process the ammonia that gets into the surface of the wood simply dissipates  it you hang the stock in regular air for a few days.  It want come back after the stock is finished and damage any boiled oil or oil-based varnish finish.

MM

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

MM - what if I neutalize the base with a mild acid, like vinegar?

[Mark Elliott]

The one cherry stocked rifle I built, I stained with Red Devil lye and water.   I just guessed at the  concentration and tested on some scrap and watered it down until I thought that I could get the color I wanted in two applications.   I don't recall neutralizing it.   I think I just flushed it with a lot of water.   I used a utility sink and a hose at that time.   It turned out really well.   Photos are on my web site.  It is #8.

[Kermit]

Just follow the directions on the can! 

[bjmac]

I seem to recall 'fuming' with ammonia..make a tent, put some liquid ammonia in a cup, and let it do its work....does that work on Cherry?

It does work on oak - high tannin. This is what was used (and still is) on Stickley "Mission Furniture". It should work on cherry, but the timing will be different.

[E.vonAschwege]

I've used spray-on red devil oven cleaner with excellent results, both on flintlocks and some pieces of furniture.  Be sure you've whiskered the stock a few times as the lye wreaks havoc on the grain.  I neutralized the lye with vinegar, and then sealed with seedlac prior to finishing with an oil varnish.  I sprayed the lye on the stock with furniture and parts in place, then removed them immediately afterwards before any swelling could occur and crack the mortises.  It's kind of messy, and I still had a lot of cleanup to do on the mortises; I'd rather a simple wipe-on solution like aquafortis.  The length of time the solution is on the stock will directly affect how dark it gets, and some of that darkness will wipe off when you rinse it - practice on some scraps to see what you like. 
-Eric


Wood before:


During:


After:

[mustangpalmer1911]

WOW nice looking pistola!  Thanks for the visual Evon.

[Mad Monk]

MM - what if I neutalize the base with a mild acid, like vinegar?

Post neutralizing would be a good idea.

Should also mention that the very strong caustic causes the wood "fibers" on the surface of the stock to become brittle.  That has a plus side to it.  With a good sharp scraper you can whisker the wood and make it very smooth quickly and easily.

Running cellulose fibers, such as cotton, through a caustic bath became mercerized sewing thread.

MM